This bill will enable employers to undercut basic award entitlements—a move that even former Prime Minister John Howard admitted was a key mistake of Work Choices. And of course former Prime Minister John Howard subsequently reinstated the no-disadvantage test in 2007.

I rise to speak to the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Intercountry Adoption) Bill 2014. Australia has a long history of participating in intercountry adoptions, dating back to the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Going forward a couple of decades, a dramatic example of Australia's history of participating in intercountry adoptions was Operation Babylift in the final days of the Vietnam War that saw approximately 280 children from orphanages in Saigon adopted by Australian families. Australia has a long history of participation in intercountry adoptions and a growing interest, since the Second World War, in intercountry adoptions. That interest ultimately culminated in Australia signing in 1998 the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption, which is known by the short title of the Hague convention.

The Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Bill 2014 is, in effect, an initiative of the last Labor government. A bill in substantially identical terms was introduced into the parliament by the then Attorney-General, the Hon. Nicola Roxon MP, but it lapsed at the end of the 43rd Parliament. That bill had the same name. It was the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Bill 2012.

As I as saying before question time, there is a need to cut through this government's empty rhetoric about supposed red tape and deregulation and to look always at what is actually proposed. In that regard, the inaugural Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, the eminent Australian lawyer Bret Walker QC in his final report, tabled last week, cut through the government's rhetoric with a few pithy statements about the proposal to abolish his office and the legislation which created his office. He said there was no prior consultation with the INSLM before it was announced that repeal of the INSLM Act would be sought by the government as part of the reduction of red tape. Mr Walker went on to say:

Prime Minister Abbott recently described himself as a conservationist. This absurd claim would be hilarious if the damage the Abbott government is inflicting on the environment were not so serious. Callous disregard for the environment extends to all corners of this destructive government, and the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis, is no exception.

I would like to congratulate the City of Greater Dandenong, which last night in Parliament House was presented with the National Award for Local Government in the category of Multicultural Australia—Strength in Diversity. The National Awards for Local Government are an annual celebration of Australian local government achievements. Through the awards, the Australian government celebrates local government projects that are innovative, deliver better outcomes for communities, have the potential to be rolled out across the country and make a meaningful difference. In particular, I would like to congratulate Mayor Jim Memeti and Councillors Youhorn Chea, Angela Long and Matthew Kirwan, who, together with Jackie Gatt, the council's officer, were in Canberra to receive the award for the council's 'Racism. Get Up. Speak Out' program. It was a pleasure to see them all here.

I want to address some questions to the Minister for Justice about section 18C, but first I want to mention the comments that have just been made by the member for Higgins and responded to by the minister in relation to the Secure Schools Program. What was missing from the minister's answer and, indeed, what was missing from what was said by the member for Higgins was any acknowledgement—and one was due—about the fact that there is bipartisan support for the Secure Schools Program and that there was $20 million in the 2008 budget for three years for the Secure Schools Program to fund security works not just in Jewish schools but in schools at risk from racially and religiously motivated violence, which we deplore, not just in Melbourne but throughout Australia. And there was a further $15 million in the 2011 budget over three years, which I had assumed had bipartisan support.

I rise to present to the House a petition from more than 600 members of the Chilean community in Australia and their supporters. It has been considered by the Standing Committee on Petitions and found to be in order.